


A Lot to Unpack

by greywolfheir



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Artist Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Baker Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Grad Student Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Single Parents, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:08:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29067084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greywolfheir/pseuds/greywolfheir
Summary: Nicky spends his days working on his thesis, going to class, baking bread to make money, and volunteering at his local church. It’s a normal life. But one day, when his friend dies, Nicky finds himself the father of a beautiful eleven-month-old. It should be noted that Nicky has never interacted with a child in his life. Luckily, the university provides child care, and one of the childcare employees is super helpful. But Joe’s just being nice, and Nicky is certainly not falling helplessly in love with the man.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 52
Kudos: 134
Collections: The Old Guard Big Bang





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I want to preface by saying I know almost nothing about kids (why did I write a fic about one? Hell if I know!), but I did a lot of research to try to make it as accurate as possible. Still, if there are any errors on that front, please let me know. 
> 
> Also, I want to say that the character of Amira is inspired by noenoaholi and her posts on tumblr, which can be found here:   
> https://noenoaholi.tumblr.com/tagged/kids-au
> 
> Lastly, I really do hope you enjoy this fic. More credits are in the end notes.

“Hello?” Nicky would like to say he was groggy, but honestly, he’d always been a light sleeper. So when he heard his phone ringing at midnight, he answered it immediately and with a clear voice.

“Nicky,” Father Stephan’s voice sounded panicked and Nicky immediately shot up in bed, “I need you to meet me at the hospital as soon as you can.”

“I’m on my way,” Nicky said, already getting dressed.

There was a lot all at once, and Nicky needed to break it down. First, his friend from church, Diego, had been killed in a freak car accident. Second, Diego’s daughter Amira had survived with only minor scrapes and bruises— a miracle really. Third, Diego had no family and the mother had been out of the picture for a while, leaving Amira without guardians. Except that Nicky, knowing that Diego had had no one in his life, had offered to be his daughter’s godfather. 

All the evidence left Nicky as a new guardian of a one-year-old.

“Nicky?” Father Stephan seemed concerned. “Are you alright? Do you need me to get you anything?”

“No, no,” Nicky said, shaking his head. “It’s just...it’s a lot to process.”

“I know, son, I know,” the Father pat Nicky on his shoulder. “And there’s going to be a lot of paperwork soon that I’ll help you handle. But Amira, she needs you right now.”

_ God _ , Amira. The little girl sleeping on the hospital bed nearby. What she must be going through. What she was  _ about _ to go through. Tears sprung up in his eyes but he forced them back. Like the priest said, she needed him to be strong. 

Father Stephan must have seen the expression on Nicky’s face, because he immediately put his hand on Nicky’s knee, forcing Nicky to look at him as he said quietly, “We’ll take care of the details in the morning. For now, all you need to do is take this girl home and give her a bed to sleep on.”

Nicky nodded again as Father Stephan got up and gently began waking Amira up. He whispered something to her, pointing to Nicky, and picked her up off the bed.

“Nicky here will take great care of you,” Father Stephan said as he handed the girl over. Nicky awkwardly took her, unsure of how to hold her.

“Hello, Amira,” he said quietly.

“Da-da?” Amira asked, and Nicky tried not to cringe.

“Dada isn’t here,” Nicky said. “I’ll take care of you now, okay?”

Amira nodded, though Nicky wasn’t sure if she actually understood him. Either way, she just blinked sleepily at him and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Good luck, Nicky,” Father Stephan said. “We’ll help you as much as we can.”

The next morning, Nicky woke up with Amira in his arms and felt exhausted. He wasn’t exactly a night owl, so he was already predisposed to the exhaustion, but the knowledge of his new life development just added another layer.

Nicky tried to get up without waking the girl, but she woke up as soon as he shifted positions.

“Da-da?” she asked sleepily.

“Not Dada,” Nicky said. “Just Nicky. Are you hungry, Amira?”

She nodded and yawned and it was the cutest thing Nicky had ever seen. “Okay let’s see what we have.”

It honestly wasn’t much, but Nicky figured you couldn’t go wrong with eggs. Unless she was allergic. God, he hoped she wasn’t allergic. 

She wasn’t allergic, and she seemed to like the scrambled eggs he’d whipped up. Nicky took this as a good sign of their future together.

After breakfast, he made a call to Father Stephan. He made a plan to take the day off of both class and work to get everything taken care of as soon as possible. Father Stephan agreed to watch Amira while Nicky went to get it all sorted out.

It was. So. Much. Paperwork. Nicky was drowning in papers, and he was exhausted, going from building to building to get the right approvals. In the end, though, Diego had indeed appointed him as Amira’s legal guardian after death. Even though he had no will, his death meant that all his assets went to Amira. However, Nicky controlled those assets until she turned eighteen. He still needed to cancel Diego’s lease and move the things out of the apartment, but he felt as if he could handle that process another day. Instead, all he took was Amira’s crib and a few of her toys.

“You look exhausted,” Father Stephan said with a grim smile as soon as Nicky came to pick up Amira.

“Yes,” Nicky agreed, “ _ but _ , you are now looking at the legal guardian of Amira Morales.”

Father Stephan’s smile became soft. “You’ll do Diego proud, Nicky, I know it.”

Nicky bowed his head. “I hope so.”

Nicky discovered there was a daycare on campus and immediately enrolled Amira, though he hesitated when it came time to drop her off on her first day. He stood outside, holding her in his arms, nerves alight.

Would it be too much for her? She’d already been put in a new environment at home. What about during the day?

“Are you just going to stand there, or are you just here to stare at our lovely graphic all day?” Nicky jumped at the sound of the voice. He’d been so caught up in his thoughts, he hadn’t noticed the man who opened the door right next to him.

“I-I’m sorry,” Nicky said. “I’m just--”

“Nervous?” the man asked. His brown eyes were practically sparkling, Nicky couldn’t help but notice. “I couldn’t tell.”

Nicky laughed awkwardly. “It must be written all over my face.”

“Don’t worry, it happens all the time with new parents,” he assured him. The man stuck out a hand. “I’m Joe, one of the caretakers here.”

“Nicky.” He switched Amira to his other arm and took Joe’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“And who’s the little one?” Joe asked as Nicky followed him inside.

“This is Amira,” Nicky said, pointing at Joe. “Amira, meet Joe.”

“She’s beautiful,” Joe said, waving at her with a smile that, on any other day, would have Nicky melting on the floor. “How old is she?”

“Eleven months,” Nicky responded. “She’ll be a year next month.”

“Wow,” Joe said, more for Amira’s amusement than a response to Nicky, “it’s almost your birthday!”

Amira only stared at Joe, and he laughed.

Joe handed a clipboard to Nicky and made to take Amira from him, but Nicky hesitated again.

“I should warn you, her situation is… different from most,” he explained.

Joe raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“She… well, she’s not exactly my biological daughter,” Nicky began. He wasn’t sure what to say, exactly.

“I didn’t think she looked Italian,” Joe said when it was clear Nicky wasn’t going to say anything else. Nicky was surprised the man had placed his accent so easily. “But we get adoptees all the time.”

“Right, about that,” Nicky wasn’t sure how to explain the situation without going into unnecessary detail. “Erm, I only recently became her legal guardian as of...two days ago. And I’m not sure what another new environment will do to her.”

“We have staff trained to handle it,” Joe assured him. “And if we have any problems, you’re the first one we call. Trust me, Nicky, she’ll be fine.”

And maybe Nicky had just had a rough few days, but for some reason, he trusted Joe implicitly. Whatever happened, he knew Joe would take care of it.

“Thank you. That means a lot, actually,” Nicky sighed.

Joe nodded and once again made to take Amira from him, and this time Nicky let him. Joe took Amira to the back rooms, where presumably she was handed off to other staff, while Nicky signed the form Joe had given him. When he was finished, Joe traded him the clipboard for a piece of paper. Nicky looked at him quizzically.

“It’s my number,” Joe said. “If you need any help with Amira, feel free to text me. Any time of day.”

He wasn’t sure what to think.  _ A hot guy just gave me his number _ , should not have been at the top of that list and  _ yet _ . “Erm, thank you,” Nicky stuttered, taking it.

Nicky shook that thought right out of his head.  _ No, this guy gave you his number because you’re a fucking mess _ . Either way, it was time for Nicky to leave, so he did.

“Nicky, what the fuck, you look  _ exhausted _ !”

Nicky rolled his eyes. “Thank you, Nile, I appreciate that.”

It was his first day back at work after Amira had become his daughter. He had just gotten his apron on and walked back to the back of the bakery when Nile had spotted him. 

“No, seriously. I mean this in the nicest way, but you look like you got hit by a truck.”

“How is that, in any way, nice?” Booker asked.

“Go back to the counter, Booker,” Nile laughed. “You’re not a part of this conversation.”

“We’re not open yet.” Booker tied his own apron. “And everyone wants to know why Nicky called off yesterday.”

“I’m not allowed to call off?” Nicky argued. 

“You?” Booker said pointedly. “The guy that shows up exactly fifteen minutes before each shift and even works through finals week? No, you’re not allowed to call off without getting questioned about it.”

Nicky sighed, and there must have been something in his body language, because when Nile told Booker to go back to the counter a second time, Booker actually listened.

“You don’t have to tell us what’s going on,” Nile assured Nicky as they got to work. “Although Booker does have a point. I’ve never seen you call off the whole time we’ve been working together.”

“It’s a long story,” Nicky said. “I have to explain it to Andy anyway.”

Nile scoffed. “Yeah, like she’s gonna tell us anything.”

Nicky shook his head. “You’ll know soon enough. But for now, we have to get to work.”

Explaining the situation to Andy turned out to be more difficult than expected. She showed up late to work and didn’t arrive until Nicky was already almost late for picking up Amira. He promised he’d call her later that night and left it at that.

Nicky practically sprinted into the daycare. “I’m so sorry I’m late.”

Joe laughed as he looked at his watch. “You’re exactly one minute late. I think we’ll let you off the hook.”

Nicky caught his breath as Joe went to the back to grab Amira. She lit up when she saw Nicky, and it made his heart melt.

“Da-da!” she said, causing his heart to melt for a different reason.

“No, not da-da,” Nicky said as he lifted her up. “I’m Nicky. Can you say ‘Nicky’?”

“Icky,” was her response. Nicky couldn’t stop his heart from swelling.

“Close enough.” When Nicky looked over, Joe’s eyes were sparkling again. He asked, “How was she?”

“She was fine,” Joe said. “She got along with everyone very well. She’s a good kid.”

Nicky sighed in relief. “I’m glad to hear it. Thank you so much for taking care of her.”

“It’s literally my job,” Joe chuckled. “But you’re welcome. Goodbye Amira!”

“Goodbye, Joe,” Nicky smiled again as Amira awkwardly tried to mimic Joe’s wave. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Nicky was halfway through dinner with Amira when he got a call. He had to go across the room to get his forgotten phone, and Amira wasn’t happy about it. Nicky wanted to go back to her, but he saw the call was from Andy.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Nicky, you said —  is that a baby crying?” Indeed, Amira was wailing in her high chair right behind him.

“No, not crying, but close to it,” Nicky answered as he walked back to Amira to help her eat again. “We’re in the middle of dinner.”

“Since when do you have a baby?”

“Since two days ago,” Nicky said. Amira quieted, fascinated with the plastic spoon Nicky left on her little counter. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I think I may have to move my schedule around.”

“Of course,” Andy said, which surprised Nicky. He’d been expecting anger, annoyance —  anything but the softer tone Andy put on. “Whatever you need.”

They discussed the details of Nicky’s new schedule. He could only work when the daycare was open, and when he wasn’t in class. He’d have to cut back on his hours volunteering with the church, but he honestly needed to make the money for Amira’s sake. He was sure Father Stephan would understand. Eventually, though, they seemed to be wrapping up, but Nicky wanted to say one more thing.

“Could you not tell Nile and Booker about this?” he requested. “It’s a complicated situation and I’d rather they hear it from me.”

“They’re going to have questions,” Andy pointed out.

“I know,” Nicky sighed. “I’ll tell them soon.”

“Good,” Andy said. “Have a good night, Nicky.”

“Goodnight, boss."


	2. Chapter 2

“Your man is back,” snickered Kara.

“He’s not my man,” Joe argued, rolling his eyes.

“Not  _ yet _ ,” Anna chimed in.

Joe would have continued his argument but at that moment, Nicky — who was most certainly  _ not _ Joe’s man — opened the door. Joe put on a perfectly innocent customer service smile but Kara still winked at him behind Nicky’s back.

“Hi, I’m here for — ”

“Amira, right?” Joe asked, as if he didn’t already know. Giving a pointed look to his coworker, he added, “Kara is on it.”

Kara rolled her eyes but Joe was too focused on Nicky’s barely-there smile to notice. Everything about this man was subtlety. The only exception were the bags under his eyes. Joe knew Nicky’s situation was rough, but he got the feeling the man’s fatigue wasn’t new. Adding a baby to the situation couldn’t have helped. Joe desperately wanted to tell Nicky to give himself a break once in a while, but that would be overstepping. He didn’t know Nicky’s life. 

“Amira was a very polite girl today,” he said. “She shared some of her toys with the other kids without us having to ask her.”

Nicky’s smile widened just a little bit more. “Very good. I  _ did _ worry if I’d have to teach her manners but I believe her father did a decent job of that already.”

_ Don’t ask about the father. Don’t ask about the father. Don’t ask _ _ — _

“Here she is!” Kara exclaimed, taking both Joe and Nicky’s attention away from each other. Once again, Amira brightened up as soon as she saw Nicky, and Joe’s heart melted at the sight.

“Icky!” Amira exclaimed, making Nicky’s eyes light up. Joe’s heart melted a little bit further.

“That’s right!” Nicky said, taking Amira into his arms. “Time to go home.” To Joe and the other daycare workers, he nodded goodbye. “Thanks for taking care of her.”

Joe chuckled. “You don’t have to thank us every day.”

Nicky gave another one his invisible smiles and left. Joe watched the door close and continued to watch until Nicky got into his car.

“You’re staring,” Anna pointed out.

“Anna, you’re supposed to be the nice one,” Joe said, “and yet I still feel attacked.”

Anna shrugged. “Just stating facts.”

Joe laughed and got back to work.

See here’s the thing: Joe didn’t get into daycare work to fall in love with single dads. If anything, it was just supposed to be a simple way to make money. He liked kids well enough and the job was on campus so he didn’t have to worry about the drive. It was a convenience to get him through his masters. A blip on the overall radar of his life. 

But he was finding that Nicky — the beautifully Italian wreck of a man named Nicky — was taking over his thoughts more than what was absolutely necessary. Honestly, he’d seen the guy a total of four times. Yet those blue eyes and that small smile had haunted Joe’s dreams the night before. 

Joe didn’t even know  _ why,  _ either. He wanted to blame it on Amira. She was a stunningly adorable little girl who was easy to fall in love with. But that still didn’t explain why Joe had made the extremely rash decision to give Nicky his number on day one. That could  _ possibly _ be explained by the fact that Nicky had looked utterly lost that day, but Joe wasn’t about to deny that his ultimate motivation hadn’t been “give hot guy number”. Although, said hot guy still hadn’t texted. But Joe was  _ not _ thinking about that. In reality, Joe was very desperately trying to keep his thoughts away from Nicky and Amira and it was not going well.

“Um, Joe? You still with me?”

Joe shook his head, realizing he was supposed to be in a meeting with one of his students discussing their latest homework assignment.

“Sorry Nile,” he said. “Just a little distracted.”

“Well let’s focus, yeah?” Nile said with faux annoyance. “I’m trying to get an A in this class and the guy who grades my papers is busy daydreaming.”

Joe laughed. “I’ll try not to let it happen again.”

They continued to work through Nile’s paper with Joe only minimally distracted. After they finished, though, Nile asked, “So, you seeing someone new?”

Joe tried not to let the surprise show on his face but Nile’s laugh informed him that he’d failed.

“Sorry,” she said, “you just have the same look on your face as Andy when she’s thinking about her wife.”

Joe smiled. “I’m not seeing anyone, but I guess you could say I’ve met someone, yeah.”

“Good for you!” Nile said happily. “I have to go but we should talk about it sometime.”

“Yeah, I’ll stop by the bakery tomorrow morning, if you have some downtime,” Joe assured her. “Have a good night, Nile.”

“Bye, Joe!”

“Booker!” Joe cried as he walked into the bakery the next day. “How’s my favorite bakery employee?”

“Hey!” Nile called from the back. “I heard that!”

“Sorry, Nile, but Booker makes my coffee and that’s what I need right now,” Joe called back. To Booker, he asked, “How are the kids?”

“Terrors as usual,” Booker sighed as he began to make Joe’s order. “Has the gallery responded to your email?”

It was Joe’s turn to sigh. “Of course not. I sent them my portfolio a week ago and now they aren’t responding to my emails. Do you think that’s a bad sign?”

Booker shrugged. “Don’t ask me, I just make the coffee.”

Joe laughed and took the coffee Booker handed to him. “Thank you, Book. You’re a lot of help.”

“I do my best.”

Joe sat at his usual table and began to get to work grading papers. The productivity was short-lived.

“If I gave you Andy’s secret baklava recipe, would that raise my grade?” Nile asked, sitting across from him.

“One, that would be a bribe; Two, your grade literally can’t get any higher; and three, you and I both know you don’t have Andy’s secret baklava recipe.”

Nile groaned. “It was worth a shot.”

“Is that what you do in the rest of your classes? Bribe your TAs to get your grade up?”

“Only for the university required classes. Believe me when I say, I would not have an A in Trig if it weren’t for the cookies I bring the professor.”

“I don’t believe you,” Joe laughed.

“Fine,” A devilish smile graced her face, her eyes suddenly sharp. “You gonna tell me about your secret lover or leave me in suspense?”

Joe rolled his eyes. “He’s not my lover, I met him two days ago.”

Nile stared, unimpressed.

“Okay, okay. He’s this new guy at the daycare,” Joe explained. “And the only things I know about him are that he’s a new father to an adopted daughter and he’s Italian.”

“No offence, Joe,” Nile said, “but that’s like Booker falling in love with a one-off customer.”

“I know, I know.” Saying it aloud made it sound even more embarrassing. “But I can’t explain it. He’s so gentle, even when he’s stressed, and you can tell he cares about his daughter so much already.”

“And he’s hot?”

Joe nodded. “And he’s hot.”

“Who’s hot?” Joe turned and realized Andy was walking up to their table. She wrapped an arm around Joe’s shoulders and he hugged her waist while still sitting.

“Hey Andy,” Joe greeted.

“We were discussing Joe’s new lover,” Nile said in answer to Andy’s question.

“You get a lover and don’t tell me about it, Joe?” Andy asked. “I’m hurt.”

“He’s just this guy who showed up at the daycare,” Joe explained. “Nile won’t let it go. Anyway, how are you? Is Quynh back from that business trip yet?”

Andy shook her head. “Negotiations apparently aren’t going well. She’ll be back in a couple weeks.”

“ _ Weeks _ ? What ever will you do?”

Andy smiled and shoved Joe’s shoulder. “Shut up, Joe.”

“You came over here to talk to  _ me _ ,” Joe pointed out. Andy rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. “Don’t worry, though, there’s nothing to report.”

“Except for your new lover,” Nile interjected.

“Sure, except for that,” Joe said, finally giving in to the word.

A timer went off in the kitchen, forcing Nile to leave with one last bribe for information. Andy followed suit, and the rest of the morning at the bakery went by as usual. Andy, Nile, and Booker all came over occasionally to talk but for the most part, Joe was left alone to get to work. He left after a while to get to the one class he had that day, but he made plans to get a drink with Booker later that week.

Joe never questioned the fact that he’d become best friends with the workers at his favorite bakery. They were like a family to him, which was nice, since his real family was on the other side of the country. For one, he met fairly regularly with Nile due to their shared class. For another, he spent so much time in that bakery that he was practically part of it.

The rest of Joe’s day went by like any other. He finished his class and then worked in his studio until ungodly hours in the night before going to bed. For that matter, the next two days went by normally too. It was only the third night when he belatedly woke up to his phone ringing, though luckily he managed to pick it up before it went to voicemail.

“Hello?” he answered, not looking at the caller ID.

“Hello Joe, it’s, uh, Nicky. From the daycare.” As if Joe wouldn’t recognize his voice, with or without the accent

“Hi Nicky. Something wrong?” 

“It’s Amira,” Nicky said, and the worry in his tone made Joe sit up. “She’s been coughing and she feels like she has a fever but I can’t find the thermometer. I don’t know if I should take her to the hospital now or if I should wait till morning. And what do I even bring to the hospital? Christ, I don’t even know if you can answer these questions, but you’re the only one I know who has childcare experience — well maybe but — ”

“Okay, Nicky, take a breath,” Joe interrupted. “Better safe than sorry, right? I’d take her to the hospital now. All you need to bring is your insurance card. If it turns into an overnight stay, you can always go home and get other things later.”

“Okay,” Nicky let out a breath. “Okay.”

“I’ll meet you there,” Joe added. “If you want.”

“Yes, I think I’d appreciate that,” Nicky responded almost before Joe finished talking.

“Okay. Then I’ll see you soon.”

“Yes,” Nicky said again. “And thank you, Joe.”


	3. Chapter 3

Nicky had hesitated to call Joe. Though in hindsight, he should have called earlier. Amira could be seriously sick and Nicky would have waited for her condition to get worse because of his inexperience. Not that Joe hadn’t simply agreed to what Nicky was already thinking. It was just nice to hear a rational voice amid his panic.

Either way, after Nicky had given the receptionist his and Amira’s information and sat down in the waiting room, it was minutes before Joe arrived. He spotted Nicky quickly and headed over.

“Hey,” he said gently before looking over at Amira in the chair next to Nicky. “Hey, sweetheart. Not feeling well?”

Amira’s response was a wet cough. Then she gently waved to Joe, who waved back.

“At least she’s still polite,” Joe said, which gave Nicky a slight feeling of pride. “How long did they say the wait would be?”

“About thirty minutes to an hour,” Nicky said grimly.

“That’s not too awful,” Joe said. “I was here about a month ago and it took over an hour to be seen.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Yeah, well, luckily it wasn’t anything too urgent. My friend just dropped his beer bottle and cut his hand. They didn’t even have to give him stitches.”

“I’m glad your friend is alright.” Nicky said it so sincerely that Joe couldn’t believe he was real.

“Yeah, well, he’s not always the smartest bulb in the box,” Joe said with a smile.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment — well, silent except for Amira’s coughs, and the general noise of the waiting room. Then Joe spoke up.

“So I guess it’s about time I finally ask,” he began, “how exactly did you get your hands on an adorable one-year-old?” Nicky sighed and Joe back-tracked quickly, “You don’t have to tell me if it’s too personal.”

“It’s not exactly personal to me at all,” Nicky said. “Her biological father, Diego, was a close friend of mine. He asked me to be his daughter’s godfather, so when he died, I got custody.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Joe said softly. “And this happened recently?”

Nicky nodded. “I’ve only had Amira for a week. The funeral is scheduled for next week.”

“Oh wow. I know you just started taking Amira to the daycare about a week ago so this shouldn’t be news to me, but still.” Joe nudged Nicky with his elbow. “No wonder you looked so lost.”

Nicky smiled, but bringing up Diego and the funeral brought down his mood. Joe must have noticed because he changed the subject.

“So outside of taking care of the most adorable little girl I’ve ever seen, what do you do?”

“I study theology,” Nicky said. “And I work at a bakery.”

Joe nodded. “What’s your thesis about?”

“It’s a study into the Crusades,” Nicky explained. He didn’t get a chance to continue because Joe laughed suddenly, like it had burst out of him. Nicky gave him a questioning look.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just a weird coincidence because my focus is on the art of that time period.”

“That...is certainly a very weird coincidence,” Nicky said with a smile. “You’re an artist then?”

Joe nodded. “I study art history, but I’m also working to get into the local art gallery. I make money off of commissions, but it’s not enough for an education. Hence the daycare.”

“Yes, the daycare,” Nicky said with a smile. “I’m assuming you’re good with children?”

Joe waved his hand in a “sort-of” gesture. “I don’t have much personal experience with them, but I  _ love _ interacting with kids. My friend has a couple of kids that love me, but that’s mostly because I spoil them when I babysit.”

Nicky sighed. “Amira is probably the first child I’ve interacted with for more than a couple minutes.”

“I couldn’t tell,” Joe said sarcastically, and Nicky couldn’t help but smile. “Seriously, though, I can tell how hard you’re trying to do this right, and I’m impressed.”

“I appreciate that,” Nicky said. He took a deep breath, but before he could continue the conversation, the nurse called his name.

“Good luck,” Joe said, patting Nicky on the shoulder.

The actual visit went well. It turned out that Amira had a viral infection known as croup. It was a mild disease that leads to harsh-sounding coughs and a fever but not much else. The doctor gave Amira a steroid to help her fight the infection and told Nicky to watch her symptoms to make sure they didn’t get worse, but beyond that, she was totally fine. 

When he left the office and still found Joe waiting there, Nicky was surprised. Well, not  _ too _ surprised, knowing what little he knew about the man. Perhaps he was actually surprised by the sudden feeling in his chest —  a warmth that spread all the way out to his limbs. Joe was a great person. One whom Nicky would really like to get to know better. Before he let that train of thought reach its destination, he hugged Amira closer and walked over.

“How is she?” Joe asked.

“Just a mild virus,” Nicky answered. “Nothing serious.”

“Good!” Joe’s smile lit up the room.

“Listen, Joe, I want to thank you for coming here today,” Nicky said. “I would have been a panicked mess without you.”

Joe’s smile turned warm. “Not a problem, Nicky. I said I would help, so I did.”

“Yes, well, coming to the emergency room at three in the morning was a lot to ask, so thank you anyway.”

“I can think of one way you can make it up to me,” Joe said with a mischievous grin.

Nicky raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Keep me updated on Amira. I know we’re not supposed to get attached to the kids, but she’s the best. And the cutest. So yeah. Daily updates.”

Nicky laughed. “I can do that.”

“Good, now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go straight back to my bed.”

Nicky smiled. “I’ll text you tomorrow, then. With the update.”

Joe nodded. “Talk to you tomorrow.”


	4. Chapter 4

As it turns out, when you have a kid who is currently sick with a contagious virus, you aren’t allowed to take them to daycare. Nicky knew this, logically. Realistically, it had been a long night, and he’d just been relieved that Amira wasn’t sick with something deadly. 

Reality hit him the next morning, when Amira was still coughing (though the steroids seemed to help a bit), and Nicky wondered if he should go to class, since he was probably going to infect everyone there. Then he admitted that he should probably skip the class anyway. But that left work.

Nicky had already changed his schedule so much and he hated having to ask for yet another day off. With Quynh gone on her business trip, that would leave Andy strapped for labor with no backups. Besides, even if Andy didn’t need him, Nicky needed the money. He’d already spent half of his extra money on diapers, baby food, and whatever else he’d thought of at the time, and he still needed to last another week before he got paid. Paying for Amira’s things would only make things worse, and missing work wasn’t going to help.

Still, Nicky wasn’t seeing any other options, so he called Andy.

“Hey, Nicky,” Andy’s tone was casual, but Nicky could tell she was worried. Nicky barely called unless it was something serious.

“Andy,” Nicky hesitated, “I hate to do this, but Amira is sick and — ”

“You need another day off?” Andy assumed.

Nicky sighed. “Yes.”

“It’s no problem. Really Nicky, I understand,” Andy insisted. Nicky was about to respond when she added, “Hey, actually, I’m off the schedule right around the time you’re supposed to come in. Do you want me to watch Amira for you?”

Nicky was speechless. “I… well, are you sure?”

Andy laughed. “Yes, Nicky, I’m sure. You’ve babysat us enough times at work. It’s time for us to return the favor.”

“I- I suppose — do you even know how to take care of a child?”

“Did you, before last week?” Andy countered.

_ Fair enough _ . “Alright, if you truly don’t mind.”

“I don’t,” Andy promised. “It’s going to be nice to have someone else around the house. Just bring her by when you go to work. I’ll take good care of her, I promise.”

“Thank you, Andy,” Nicky breathed.

“It’s not a problem, Nicky,” Andy said sincerely. “I’ll see you soon.”

Unfortunately for Nicky, Andy wasn’t the only one in the parking lot when Nicky handed Amira off to her.

“Oh my god!” Nile squealed as she left the building for her break. “That is the cutest kid I’ve ever seen!” Andy was currently holding the kid in question, so it only made sense that Nile gasped and asked, “Andy, are you and Quynh  _ adopting _ ? Is  _ that  _ what the business trip was about?”

Andy looked from Nile to Amira to Nicky before opening her mouth.

“Actually,” he said, “she’s mine.”

Nile’s eyes widened and she blinked. “I… but I didn’t think — ”

“She’s adopted,” he explained further. Nile, luckily didn’t press for details, because, unluckily, Booker pulled into the parking lot right at that moment.

“Whose little girl is this?” he asked in a voice he only used when he talked about his own kids.

“Nicky’s, apparently,” Nile answered.

Booker had a similar reaction to Nile. “Uh… wow, I didn’t — ”

“Adopted,” Nicky said again, which he knew explained absolutely nothing to anyone but they still didn’t press. “Andy’s taking care of her while I’m at work.”

“ _ Andy _ ?” Nile asked. “I mean, no offense, but  _ she’s  _ the one you ask?”

Nicky shrugged. “She offered.”

Nile and Booker blinked again.

“Alright, all of you get to work,” Andy interrupted. “The bakery isn’t going to run itself.”

Nile and Booker shrugged and headed inside, where Nicky knew they’d immediately start gossiping. He handed over Amira’s bag to Andy, who took it with an apologetic look.

“Not the smartest idea to hand a baby over during shift change,” she admitted.

Nicky shrugged. “I should have told them earlier.”

Andy made an inscrutable face at that, but turned to put Amira into the car before Nicky could ask her about it. “I’ll take good care of Amira, Nicky.”

“Thank you, boss,” Nicky said. “It means a lot to me.”

Andy nodded before getting in the car and driving away. Meanwhile, Nicky braced himself for the questions he’d be getting once he was inside.

**Interlude**

* * *

Andy knew how to take care of a toddler. She  _ knew _ how to take care of a toddler. Okay, yeah, she’d never done it before, but it couldn’t be  _ hard _ , right? It wasn’t even her toddler. And it was only for a few hours.

“Alright, little one,” Andy said once they were at her home and settled, “how about we play with some of your toys. What about...this one?”

Amira squealed in delight at the toy Andy had picked out at random. It was just a teddy bear, but Amira hugged it to herself happily.

“Teddy,” the toddler murmured to herself happily.

“Oh, you speak!” Andy said. She wasn’t sure what age speech began. “Can you say ‘Andy’?”

Amira ignored Andy in favor of playing with her teddy bear.

“Okay, that’s fair,” Andy said with a smile. She laid out the rest of the toys in case Amira got bored with her teddy. 

In the end, it wasn’t even really that difficult. Amira played with her toys, and when Andy was sure she was satisfied, she turned on the TV. Amira, after a while, squealed again and ran over to sit in front of the screen. 

“You like to watch TV, Amira?” Andy asked her. Amira didn’t answer. “I didn’t think of that. Shit, you could probably sit here the whole time Nicky’s gone.”

“Shit,” Amira murmured.

Andy sat up straight, eyes wide. “You did  _ not _ just say what I--”

“Shit!” Amira exclaimed.

“Okay, I’m gonna need you to unlearn that now.” Andy looked around for new words. “Phone! Can you say ‘phone’?”

“Shit!” Amira said, seemingly taking delight in Andy’s distress.

“What about ‘Nicky’?” Andy said. “You know that one, right? ‘Nicky’?”

“Icky!” Amira squealed, looking around for her adoptive father. When she didn’t see him, she stuck out her bottom lip and pouted. “Shit.”

Andy bit back her laugh at a toddler properly using curse words. She kept in mind how pissed Nicky would be once he found out his daughter just learned her first curse word. A pissed Nicky was no laughing matter.

The rest of the time was spent trying to get Amira to stop learning her new word. Andy switched to a kid-friendly channel and pointed out every word she thought Amira could say. By the end, Amira hadn’t used the word in an hour, and Andy hoped she was safe.

At the bakery, Nicky looked almost relieved to see his daughter.

“Icky!” Amira said with delight when she saw him.

“Hello Amira,” Nicky said, kissing the top of her head. To Andy, he asked, “How did she do?”

“She was fine,” Andy said truthfully.

“Good,” Nicky said with the smallest of smiles. “Thank you for taking care of her.”

“It’s not a problem,” Andy said sincerely. “If you ever need someone to watch her, I’m here.”

Nicky nodded. Before he could say anything, however, Amira suddenly spoke up.

“Shit!” she said, then giggled.

Andy groaned inwardly. 

“Did she just say…?”

“Listen, it was an accident,” Andy explained quickly. “I said it once. I don’t know why she keeps saying it.”

Nicky chuckled. “It’s alright, Andy. At least I know she’s picking up more words. Just remember you’re around a child next time.”

“Yeah,” Andy sighed. “Believe me, I will.”

* * *

Nicky felt ridiculous, putting dress shoes on a toddler. He’d felt ridiculous buying them, too, but, as Joe had pointed out, she’d look more out of place in her throw-up stained onesies. It was good that Nicky had talked to Joe about the funeral attire, too, or he never would have known where to get a non-sparkly black dress for Amira. 

Amira, for her part, was at least being cooperative. She hadn’t cried or fussed all day, like she knew how important today was. Nicky knew that wasn’t true, but it still made him feel better. And Lord, did he need to feel better today. After balancing Amira in his life for nearly two weeks, Nicky had nearly forgotten  _ why _ she was in his life in the first place. 

Diego had been a true friend to Nicky from the beginning. They’d met soon after Nicky had moved to America, and Diego had helped Nicky settle, in an act of generosity Nicky could never repay. Yet Nicky tried to repay that generosity as much as he could. When Diego’s parents died, Nicky had been there — helped arrange the funerals, let Diego stay with him, had been a shoulder to cry on.

When Diego met Amira’s mother, they’d gotten out of contact for a while, but when she’d had Amira, then promptly left Diego with his daughter, Nicky was honored to have been named Amira’s godfather. Of course, Diego had been busy raising Amira at that point, and they’d gotten out of touch yet again, but Nicky never doubted that Diego still felt as close to Nicky as Nicky felt to him.

The accident was completely unexpected, and Nicky wasn’t sure he’d truly processed it. Truly, he hadn’t even had time to grieve. And now he was about to go to Diego’s funeral. 

Nicky was nervous, to say the least.

As it turned out, the funeral wasn’t awful. Father Stephan gave a beautiful speech, and so did a few of Diego’s other friends. Nicky had declined to give a speech, citing Amira. Amira herself remained cooperative and pleasant. She cried a little at the viewing when Diego didn’t respond to her, but Nicky got her out of there as soon as that started. It was after that, when Nicky was calming Amira down, that Father Stephan approached Nicky.

“Hello, Father,” Nicky greeted the man.

“It’s good to see you again, Nicky,” Father Stephan responded. “I see Amira is holding up well.”

Nicky nodded. “Yes, she’s a resilient young girl.”

“As you are a resilient young man,” Father Stephan pointed out. “The two of you will do well together.”

“I hope so,” Nicky agreed.

After a pause, Father Stephan spoke up. “I hope you know that the church is always here for you, if you need us.”

“I appreciate the offer, Father,” Nicky said. “But I’m holding up surprisingly well.”

Father Stephan nodded. “Of course. Just know we’re here.”

“I truly appreciate that,” Nicky responded with a genuine smile.

After Father Stephan left, Nicky had a few moments alone with Amira, where he took stock of how he truly felt. Yes, he missed Diego and his loss truly hurt. But there was so much of his friend inside Amira, it was hard to truly believe the man was gone. And Nicky was doing everything he could to be sure she had the life he’d meant for his daughter. It was the least he could do for his closest friend. Taking a deep breath, Nicky felt like he was ready to return to the funeral.

What he was not ready for, was the sight of a familiar face.

“Joe?”

“Uh, hey, Nicky,” Joe said, scratching the back of his head. “I hope you don’t mind me showing up like this, but I was free, and it was open to the public, and I figured you could use some company.”

“Uh, no, I appreciate the thought,” Nicky began, but Joe wasn’t finished.

“I mean I know you probably already have company,” Joe said. “And I don’t want to be presumptuous, you just sounded nervous about the whole thing over the phone and--”

Nicky put a hand on Joe’s arm, stopping his babbling. “Joe, it’s fine, really. I’m glad you’re here.”

Joe let out a breath, and with it, some of the tension in his shoulders. “Okay, good to know.”

“Actually,” Nicky added, “The public service is nearly over. But if you’d like, you can join us for the private burial.”

“Oh!” Joe was surprised. “I mean, if you don’t think it would be too intrusive.”

Nicky smiled. “I wouldn’t have offered if it was.”

Joe smiled back and nodded. “Okay, then.”

They didn’t talk much after that. Nicky kept getting interrupted by other mourners offering their condolences and trying to talk to Amira. The drive over was even too short for much conversation. 

It was after Father Stephan said the burial rites, when it was Amira’s duty to throw the first handful of dirt on the coffin, that Nicky lost it. He wasn’t sure exactly what triggered it. Perhaps it was seeing her chubby fist doing a child’s imitation of something she shouldn’t have to do. Perhaps it was the thought that it was the last time she would see her father beyond visiting this grave. Whatever it was, Nicky couldn’t stop the tears this time.

Luckily, he was a silent crier, so all it took was looking away from everyone else as he led Amira away from the crowd. Sitting down on the curb, he held Amira tight to him as he let the tears drop into her curly hair.

“Icky?” Amira asked, but Nicky couldn’t bring himself to respond.

After a moment, Nicky felt a hand on his shoulder, and he frantically tried wiping away the tears.

“You’re allowed to be sad for yourself, you know.” Nicky, expecting Father Stephan, was surprised to hear Joe’s gentle voice instead. “You don’t have to be strong for Amira, or even sad for her.”

“I know,” Nicky sniffled. “I just — it took me by surprise.”

“And that’s fair, too,” Joe pointed out. “I think everyone here is surprised you haven’t broken down earlier.”

“How would you know that?” Nicky scoffed. He didn’t mean it to come out as rude, but it sounded harsher than he’d intended. Joe didn’t seem to mind.

“These people are the biggest gossips I’ve ever met,” he answered. “Either that, or this is just the weirdest situation they’ve ever witnessed.”

“Both, I think,” Nicky admitted. 

“Well, either way, I think they all admire you for making it this far,” Joe said. After a short pause, he added, “But you know, I can take Amira off your hands for tonight, if that’s something you need.”

“No offense,” Nicky said, wiping his eyes again, “but you  _ are _ barely more than a stranger to me.”

Joe chuckled. “Okay, but besides the fact that you’ve been leaving her in my care for the past two weeks, the fact that I work at a daycare  _ does _ mean my background check is squeaky clean.”

“Fair point,” Nicky admitted sheepishly.

“ _ But _ , if it makes you feel any better, I can just watch her at your place while you  —  I don’t know — have your meltdown in the other room.”

It  _ would _ be nice to have someone watch Amira if he was going to be in this vulnerable state for the rest of the night. 

“Alright,” he said.

Joe raised an eyebrow. “I have to be honest, I was about to realize how pushy I sounded and back down.”

“No, you’re right, I could use someone to watch Amira for tonight, I think, but I still want her nearby.”

Joe nodded. “Then I’d be happy to watch her.”

The drive back to Nicky’s apartment was awkward, to say the least, and didn’t get better once they arrived at Nicky’s apartment. 

“Er, make yourself at home?” Nicky suggested after he showed Joe where Amira’s things were and gave the tiniest tour.

“I will,” Joe said. “Now go be free, to do whatever you’d like.”

Nicky nodded and turned directly towards his bedroom. After changing out of his funeral attire, he sat on his bed stiffly for a moment before feeling ridiculous. He’d already gotten his crying out at the funeral, and it wasn’t like he felt like crying now. He fiddled with his phone for a little bit, then lay down and stared at the ceiling, until finally, with a grunt of frustration, he got up to go make food. It was close enough to dinner time.

After exiting his bedroom, Nicky found Joe and Amira doodling on the floor. Well, Joe was doodling. Amira was simply scribbling huge swatches of color on her paper. The crayon was held in her fist as she simply moved it back and forth across the paper. Still, she looked as concentrated as Joe, who seemed to be sketching Amira herself.

Nicky couldn’t help himself--he let out a full-on laugh, snort and all. That caused Joe to look up, but Amira didn’t break her concentration.

Nicky shook his head at Joe. “Sorry, I’ve just never seen her draw before. She’s so serious.”

“Oh yes,” Joe said with a straight face. “Amira takes her art very seriously.”

Nicky threw back his head and laughed again, this time joined by Joe. This caused Amira to look up and start babbling happily.

“Amira, show Nicky what you’ve been working on,” Joe said, pointing to the paper.

Amira pointed at the paper in a mirror of Joe, and vocalized, “Ah.”

That sent Nicky into another fit of laughter. He knew this was partially due to some weird grief response, but it made him feel good, so he didn’t bother analyzing it further. Luckily, Nicky’s laughter made Amira start laughing, which made Joe laugh.

When Nicky finally got a hold of himself, he managed to say. “I was going to make dinner. Would you like some?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” Joe said. “I eat late.”

“Then I’ll make you something to take home,” Nicky insisted. “Do you have any food restrictions? Allergies?”

“None that I’m aware of,” Joe said with a smile, not even bothering to argue.

So Nicky got to work making dinner, and Joe and Amira continued to play on the floor. When dinner was ready and Amira was changed out of her funeral clothes to one of her onesies, Joe insisted on feeding her, citing the fact that he was technically babysitting, and therefore Nicky shouldn’t have to do anything. Nicky relented only because Joe actually ate with them, instead of having his food packed up for later.

Afterward, they all sat on Nicky’s sofa to watch some Disney movie Amira had liked the other day. About halfway through, Amira fell asleep on Nicky’s arm.

“I’ll take that as my cue,” Joe whispered to Nicky. “I won’t stay here longer than necessary.”

“If you’re sure,” Nicky said, suddenly not wanting Joe to leave just yet. “I don’t want you to think your only job is to take care of Amira.”

“Well, technically, that  _ was _ my only job today,” Joe pointed out. “But I get your point. Don’t worry, I’m happy to help out however I can.”

Nicky smiled. “Thank you, Joe. You’ve been a true friend.”


	5. Chapter 5

Joe was already having a good day. He’d just woken up but already gotten a satisfied message from his thesis advisor for his work  _ and _ an email from the local art gallery that they were interested in his portfolio. So when he walked into his favorite bakery, he was delighted by what happened.

“Booker!” Joe exclaimed when he walked in “Guess who just got an email from the gallery!”

“Congrats, man!” Booker said, reaching over the counter to give Joe a fist bump.

“It’s just a preliminary view of my work, but it’s further than I’ve ever gotten before,” Joe elaborated. “And —  oh, you’re out of the Sfogilatelle.”

“You know, you’re the only customer we get who pronounces that correctly,” Booker noted before calling to the back, “Nicky! You’re out of Joe’s Sfogilatelle.”

Joe was about to make some sort of concession that,  _ no, it was okay, he could get something else _ , when the name Booker called registered in his head.

“Wait, Nicky’s here?” Joe asked at the same time he heard a familiar voice ask, “Joe’s here?”

“Oh, yeah,” Booker said. “With the new schedule, Nicky shows up some mornings now.”

Joe only half registered the man’s words, though, because just then, Joe spotted the most beautiful blue-green eyes he’d ever seen. Eyes he knew well.

“ _ You’re _ Joe? Sfogilatelle Joe?” Well, that was enough to bring Joe out of the mild shock of seeing Nicky here, of all places.

He made a face. “I hope that’s not how you guys refer to me.”

Nicky shook his head smiling. “No, you’re just the only customer who orders them regularly. Everyone else is too afraid to say the name.”

“And  _ you’re  _ the elusive Nicky that I always hear mentioned but never see?” Joe asked in return.

“How many people do you know who are named Nicky?” the man pointed out.

“Fair,” Joe shrugged. “I just thought it was a coincidence.”

“Wait, you two know each other?” Booker asked. “But not from the bakery? Is that what I’m getting?”

“Booker, this is the new guy from the daycare,” Joe said pointedly.

“The one who — ” Booker caught himself, but not without a smug smirk flashing on his face. “Ah, I see.”

Nicky looked back and forth between the two of them. “I hope you’ve only said good things about me.”

“Only good things,” Joe promised. He let out a chuckle. “This is so weird.”

Nicky nodded. “I have to finish this dough in the back, but after that, I can take a break.”

“I got the dough!” Nile said from where she’d been clearly eavesdropping in the back. “You go ahead, Nicky.”

Joe laughed nervously. “Well, I guess you’re free now.”

Nicky smiled again and began making his way around the counter. “So I am.”

Joe led him to his table and began setting his bag down, side-eyeing Nicky the whole time.

“So you’re telling me that you’ve been working at this bakery the whole time?” Joe asked.

Nicky shrugged. “I suppose so. You’re telling me that you’re the Joe who charms every single one of my coworkers?”

Joe was slightly caught off-guard by this but recovered quickly. “Are you telling me I  _ didn’t _ charm you?”

Nicky smiled but looked away in a manner that set Joe’s heart alight with hope. Still, he changed the subject. “I thought you were working in the daycare today?”

“I called in last minute to work on my thesis,” Joe said. “But I’m sure Amira is well-taken care of.”

“I wasn’t worried,” Nicky assured him. “Though I’m sure she’ll miss her friend.”

“Please,” Joe scoffed, “she’ll be too busy bossing around Stephen to even bother remembering who I am.”

“Those two really don’t get along, do they?”

“No, they do not,” Joe said with a smile. Then he remembered something. “Hey, isn’t her birthday next week? Are you doing anything for that?”

Nicky looked away again, sheepishly this time. “I hadn’t really made plans. She’s not going to remember this one anyway.”

“Unacceptable,” Joe gasped, putting on a serious tone. “Now that I know you know my friends, you’re inviting all of them to Amira’s birthday party. You can teach me how to bake and we can have the most delicious birthday cake of all time.”

Nicky laughed. “Alright, but if none of them show up to a one-year-old’s birthday party, you’re eating the cake by yourself.”

“Deal,” Joe agreed.

Nicky laughed again.

They continued to talk  —  surprisingly uninterrupted by Nile or Booker  —  for the entirety of Nicky’s break. They moved on from the subject of Amira to Joe’s thesis, Nicky adding points from his own research that were actually helpful. Unfortunately, Nicky was excruciatingly punctual, and as soon as his fifteen minutes were up, he apologized but got back to work. 

He should have known Nile and Booker were just waiting for an all-clear. Nile came out on her own break after Nicky returned, and was soon followed by Booker, who didn’t have any customers at the counter.

“Guys, I — ”

“Joe,  _ that’s _ the guy you’ve been crushing on so hard?  _ Nicky? _ ” Nile interrupted.

“I could have sworn you met Nicky a year ago,” Booker added quickly. “You’re telling me you didn’t know--”

“ _ Listen! _ ” Joe’s tone was serious but he was laughing. “Nicky never had the same schedule as me, so no, I never met him here, and —  actually, Nile, why do you sound so scandalized?”

“Because it’s  _ Nicky _ ,” Nile said, which was supremely unhelpful. Then she clarified. “I guess he’s hot in a tired white boy way but that guy  _ never _ opens up. I mean  _ never _ . We didn’t know he had an adopted daughter ‘til, like, a week ago.”

“Well, yeah, he’s a little distant, but he’s a really sweet guy,” Joe said with a shrug. “He never told you guys about Amira?”

“Well, he did,” Booker conceded. “But only  _ after  _ we found him dropping her off with Andy to babysit.”

“Andy was babysitting?” Joe nearly choked on his laughter. “I can’t even picture it.”

“That’s what I’m  _ saying _ , Nicky doesn’t open up unless he’s forced to,” Nile says. “And you want to date  _ that _ guy?”

Joe reached across the table and put his hand on Nile’s dramatically before announcing: “Nile, you’ll understand when you’re older.”

Nile shook his hand off but she laughed. “When I’m senile, you mean.”

“You wound me,” Joe said, putting a hand to his chest. More seriously, he added, “Listen, Nicky’s great, and the fact that he puts up with all of you guys is a testament to that. But I swear, if you mention my feelings for him under any circumstances, I will end you.”

“Note taken,” Booker said with a nod.

“Obviously we weren’t going to mention anything, but this is wild, you have to admit!” Nile added.

“Oh, and one other thing,” Joe said, suddenly remembering. “Amira’s birthday is next Thursday. I expect you all to be there when Nicky invites you to the party.”

“He’s going to invite us?” Booker asked warily.

“I told him to, yeah,” Joe said with a nod.

“And he  _ listened _ ?” Nile sighed. “What is even happening right now? Of course I’ll go!”

“I’ll go if there’s alcohol,” Booker said. Nile smacked his shoulder.

“It’s a one-year-old’s birthday party,” Joe pointed out incredulously. “But you know what, fine, I’ll bring it myself.”

“Then you’ve got a deal,” Booker said with a smile at the same time that a customer walked in and he had to return to the counter.

Nile continued to pester Joe with questions until her break was over, but Joe hadn’t revealed anything too damning. When she’d gotten back to work, however, Joe found it hard to get to his own work, so he just started sketching. He got lost in his art sometimes, so he nearly startled when someone spoke to him from across the table.

“Is that… me?” It was Nicky, of course it was Nicky.

“Oh, I guess it is,” Joe said as Nicky pulled the paper closer, careful not to smudge any of the charcoal. 

“It’s...very good,” Nicky said, carefully studying the piece.

“It’s just a sketch, really,” Joe admitted. “I wasn’t sure what I was even drawing until now. How long have I been here?”

“Only an hour or so,” Nicky answered. “But it’s my lunch break and I was wondering if you would want to join me.”

_ As a date?  _ Joe didn’t ask. “Lunch at ten in the morning?”

“We get here at five,” Nicky explained. “An early day means an early lunch.”

“I’m not quite hungry, but I suppose I could eat,” Joe said, noting the near-drop in Nicky’s face when he thought he’d been rejected. “What did you have in mind?”

“There’s a cafe down the block. Nothing special, but I like to go there occasionally,” Nicky answered.

Joe smiled. “Then let’s go.”

Nicky was right, there was nothing particularly special about their time at the cafe, but that’s what made it extremely special to Joe. They easily picked up where the conversation had left off earlier that day, and it felt so easy talking to Nicky. Almost like they’d been friends for years. The mundanity of spending time with Nicky emphasized how Nicky felt like home —  not in the sense of where he’d been born, but in the sense of that warm, cozy feeling you get when you have no immediate worries. 

They returned to the bakery, and Joe admitted that he should probably get to class soon, and Nicky nodded and said he’d hoped they’d meet again soon. Nothing special at all, but Joe was utterly thrilled by it. Because they  _ would _ meet again soon, and Joe knew that as fact.

In the meantime, Joe met with the art gallery manager and showed her his portfolio, to a mixed review. She didn’t like his overuse of charcoal as a medium (“We like artists with a more diverse portfolio”) but she  _ did _ like the subjects (“I admire the passion you put into every piece”). In the end, she agreed to showcase one of his least-favorite works, but it was still a win. 

Joe was officially part of his local art gallery.

When it came time to express the news, he called his mother first, of course, who relayed the news to the rest of his family. Then, when it came time to spread the news elsewhere, he knew who his first choice was.

“Hello?” Joe heard Amira babbling in the background, and it made him smile even more. He wasn’t sure he was capable but here he was.

“Hey! Are you busy?”

“No, Amira was just getting snack time. She loves snack time.”

“Oh, trust me, I know,” Joe laughed. “Well, it won’t be too long, I just wanted to let you know that I got into the gallery.”

“That’s great news!” Nicky said, voice as excited as Nicky was capable of getting.

“Yeah, I just wanted to let everyone know,” Joe said. “Anyway, that’s really all I had to say.”

“Well, still, it’s good to hear,” Nicky said. “Booker’s been talking about how they should have let you in years ago to any customer that even mentions the gallery.”

“Yeah, I’ll have to tell him next,” Joe laughed. “I’m probably going to tell everyone I see.”

“Well, congratulations,” Nicky said. “Maybe we can make Amira’s birthday a celebration for you as well.”

“Oh you don’t have to,” Joe said, uncharacteristically sheepish.

“This is a big deal, Joe,” Nicky insisted. “And like I said, Amira won’t remember that her birthday was overshadowed.”

Joe laughed. “Alright, if you insist. Then you won’t mind if I bring alcohol?”

“And risk Booker not coming?” Nicky said. “Not at all.”

Joe laughed again. “Alright, then I’ll grab some before I come by on Thursday. Are you still ok with me helping you bake?”

“Of course,” Nicky said warmly. “I’ll see you Thursday morning, then.”

“See you.”

_ Like home _ , Joe thought before dialing Booker’s number.

Thursday morning, Joe found himself covered in flour and sore from kneading dough so much. So sore, in fact, that he almost said no when Amira asked to be held. Almost. 

They were making sfogliatelle on top of Amira’s basic Cassata cake. Joe had been the one to insist on it when Nicky brought up as a joke that he should be able to make his own sfogliatelle for the future. Now he was regretting it as Nicky piped the icing onto the Cassata. 

Amira had been “helping” throughout, and she was covered in flour as well. In particular, there was one dot of flour on her nose where Joe had tapped it without realizing he had flour on his hands. Amira didn’t seem to mind.

Joe didn’t notice when Amira wiped her tiny finger in the bowl of custard--meant to be the filling to the sfogliatelle--and held it out to Nicky. Nicky, however, looked up when she said his name. Thinking she wanted him to taste it, Nicky leaned forward only to have Amira raise her finger to his nose and place the filling there.

“Ah, I see,” he said, causing Joe to collapse in a fit of giggles. Amira liked this sound and immediately started her own giggle fit. Meanwhile, Nicky wiped the filling from his nose. “It does taste good, though, doesn’t it?”

“It does indeed,” Joe said, swiping his own finger in the bowl, bravely ignoring Nicky’s warning glare. The effect of it was lost anyway, with the bit of filling still on his nose. “Now, what do I do with this beautifully kneaded dough?”

Nicky gave Joe the instructions and they got back to work. In a little bit over an hour, it was done. The cake was beautifully iced, the sfogliatelle was perfection itself (according to Joe, at least), and they were all cleaned up and ready for a party.

Andy, Booker, and Nile all came, of course. As did Father Stephan and a few church members, and even a couple of kids from the daycare with their parents. Booker seemed nervous to drink around the church members and parents until Nicky opened a bottle of wine and one mom and Father Stephan both immediately asked for a glass.

It was all-around a delightful party. Amira unsuccessfully blew out her candles until they asked the other kids for help. Andy managed not to piss anyone off or be too pissed off at anyone in particular. Father Stephan left early, which had everyone more relaxed whether they wanted to admit it or not. Even Nicky seemed to be enjoying himself as a host, though he did have a little help from Joe, who felt he’d really been the one to push for the party and therefore should also be the one to help make it go smoothly.

In the end, Joe offered to help clean up, but Nicky insisted that he’d already helped far too much and sent him home. In bed that night, Joe couldn’t help but feel like they’d almost all felt like a small family. But he shoved that aside as wishful thinking and forced himself to go to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

After Amira’s birthday, Nicky noticed a marked decline in his stress levels. Between Joe and his coworkers plus the daycare, Amira had plenty of babysitters, which helped him be able to get back on track for his thesis. He was also able to work at the bakery without having to take days off anymore, so money became slightly less of an issue. Yes, Nicky’s stress was nearly non-existent at this point, in a way it hadn’t been even before Amira. 

There was, however, one thing that arose once the stress cleared away: Nicky’s repressed feelings for Joe.

See, ever since the hospital visit, Nicky had been feeling something for Joe. Something he hadn’t been able to fully examine because of, well,  _ everything _ . But now, everything was settled, and Nicky found that feeling surfacing more and more often. And he was finding it harder to seek reasons to ignore it.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Nicky looked up at Andy’s words. They were all in Andy’s house, celebrating Quynh’s return from her business trip. Quynh and Booker were fighting over politics or something similar and Joe and Nile were playing with Amira. Nicky was on Andy’s sofa, watching his daughter. Well, that wasn’t  _ quite  _ true. “Ah, can I take a guess?”

“No,” Nicky murmured, miserably taking a sip of his drink.

Andy didn’t hear him. “Is it something to do with Joe?”

Nicky shrugged petulantly.

“Something is going on with you two, isn’t there?”

“Not quite,” Nicky said honestly. “We’re friends, if that’s what you mean.”

Andy cocked her head at Nicky, and he finally looked at her.

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Andy,” Nicky said. “He’s a very nice man, but I have a daughter to worry about.”

Andy rolled her eyes. “Please, Nicky, don’t use Amira as an excuse. She deserves better.”

Nicky sighed. “I haven’t let myself think about it if I’m being honest.”

“Well, you should probably think on it a little bit,” she suggested. “You deserve to be happy, Nicky.”

“I  _ am _ happy,” Nicky pointed out.

“Happier, then,” Andy argued. “Look, I’m just saying, I don’t think it would hurt to give it a chance. Just… think about it.”

Nicky sighed again. “I will.”

A month later, Nicky was still thinking about it.

It wasn’t like he was ignoring Andy’s advice, he just couldn’t figure out what to do. How do you ask someone out on a date when you spend nearly every day together? Between babysitting, hanging out with their friends, and hanging out with each other, they  _ did _ spend practically every day together. And now that Nicky was acknowledging that there was, indeed, something in his heart for Joe, it felt overwhelming. In a good way, yes, but also in a terrifying way.

In the end, he got there, but it took more help from Joe.

It started during a night when Joe was watching Amira as Nicky worked on his thesis. He was meeting his professor the next day, so it was slightly stressful, but he’d reached his deadline early and was just adding details here and there.

“Amira’s asleep,” Joe said gently as he walked into the living room.

“Already?” Nicky asked, looking over his shoulder to watch Joe cross the room and sit next to him on the sofa. “Her bedtime isn’t for another hour.”

“Yeah, well,” Joe sighed as he sat down, “she wanted to stop playing with her toys and gave me a book to read to her and you know the rest.”

Nicky hummed his amusement, though he was already adjusting the alarm on his phone to an hour earlier so that Amira’s sleep schedule wouldn’t be too altered.

“Thank you for watching her today, Joe,” Nicky said, just as his phone buzzed. “I truly don’t know what I —  fuck!”

“What’s wrong?” Joe asked immediately.

“Oh--it’s nothing really,” Nicky responded, typing on his phone. “I just forgot I scheduled my meeting with my professor before I changed my work schedule. I hate to have to call in  _ again _ , but he’s changed this thesis meeting so many times since Amira and--”

“Nicky,” Nicky looked up not at his name but at the tone behind the word. Joe’s face was inscrutable. “Can I ask you something?”

Nicky’s heart began to race. He and Joe had been dancing around each other for a while now. Was this when the confession happened? Or worse, is this where Joe rejected him? Nicky nodded, hoping the nerves weren’t showing.

“When’s the last time you had time for  _ you _ ?” 

That took Nicky by surprise. “I — you watched Amira today — ”

“I don’t mean time away from Amira,” Joe interrupted. “I mean time for  _ yourself.  _ I watched Amira today so you could work on your thesis. When you’re not doing that, you’re at work. When you’re not working, you’re taking care of Amira. Tell me, Nicky, when’s the last time you volunteered at your church?”

Nicky furrowed his brows trying to remember. Wasn’t it last Sunday? No, he’d had to work. But surely the Sunday before...no, he’d had to go into town and take care of some paperwork. Okay, maybe Joe had a point.

“I have a child, now, Joe,” Nicky countered. “I’m not supposed to — ”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” Joe warned. “A child is not a death sentence. You’re allowed to have a life. All I’m saying is you should be able to take one day —  actually, no  — one  _ hour _ where you get to do what  _ you _ want to do.”

Nicky knew Joe was trying to make him happy or inspired or whatever but suddenly he felt panicked. What if something happened to Amira? And that’s an hour he could be working, saving up money. Or better yet, an hour that could be used studying.

“Nicky,” Joe continued, gently placing a hand over Nicky’s, “name something you want to do that isn’t work or Amira or school-related.”

“I suppose I haven’t had a drink in a while,” Nicky answered. Why did he say that? Nicky was never the type to drink. Perhaps it was the least kid-friendly thing he could think of. Although lately, he had been feeling the urge to get something strong these days to ease the stress.

Joe smiled, and suddenly Nicky was reminded that Joe’s hand was still on his. “Perfect! Let’s go to the bar together after your thesis meeting.”

“But I have to work,” Nicky pointed out.

“Take the whole day off,” Joe said with a casual shrug. “Andy won’t mind, and if she does, I’ll take care of it.”

Okay, that image made Nicky want to laugh. The idea of Joe going toe to toe with Andy was so ridiculous, Nicky had to bite his lip to tone down the smile that was threatening to cross his lips. “Alright, I see your point, but I don’t think Andy will care about your opinion on my work schedule.”

“Trust me, I can be persuasive when I want to be,” Joe said with a wink that had Nicky feeling unstable. “So it’s a date then? You’re not going to stand me up?”

Nicky rolled his eyes. “Fine, yes, I will go to the bar with you tomorrow. For one hour.”

Joe grinned mischievously at that but didn’t argue. He just stood up and made his way to the door. “I’ll see you then. Have a good night Nicky.”

“Good night, Joe.”

The meeting with Nicky’s professor went… well. Nicky would like to say it went as well as expected, but really, he thought it was going to be a positive meeting and it wasn’t, so that was really unexpected. Apparently, due to the extension, Dr. Keane had thought Nicky would be further along than they’d originally agreed to. So despite the fact that Nicky had met the deadline, he was still behind. Despite the fact that what Nicky had done was “excellent”, it was also “still lacking”. This put Nicky in an extremely bad mood, meaning that when he left the building that housed Dr. Keane’s office and Joe was outside waiting for him, the greeting was less than friendly.

“Oh you’re here,” was what Nicky said in a monotone.

Joe, luckily, still smiled anyway. “Bad meeting, I assume?”

“Extraordinarily,” Nicky sighed.

“Well you can tell me all about it over some nice cold, alcoholic drinks,” Joe said, wrapping an arm around Nicky’s shoulder. 

It did lift Nicky’s spirits, even if just a little bit, the idea of getting drinks with Joe. Still, when they reached the bar, Nicky hadn’t been very responsive to Joe’s conversation starters. That left the conversation to die off while they waited for their drinks to arrive.

After a moment, Joe got a twinkle in his eye. Ordinarily, Nicky was happy to see this twinkle —  it looked good on the man and meant he was happy. Seeing as how they were in the middle of an awkward silence after Nicky destroyed the conversation, the twinkle actually made Nicky nervous.

“What is it?” Nicky asked when Joe looked away, not elaborating on his sudden change in mood.

Joe looked away and shrugged. “I just realized you have the whole rest of the afternoon off. The possibilities are just… nice to think about.”

It was Nicky’s turn to shrug. “I still need to pick up Amira by six.”

Joe looked at his watch. “That gives us four hours. What do you want to do with it, Nicky?”

“I thought we were getting drinks,” Nicky pointed out just as the bartender came over in their direction.

“Yes, but we are  _ not _ drinking for four hours. That’s unhealthy and besides the point.” Joe leaned towards Nicky. “What do you want to  _ do _ ?”

_ I want to go home and cry _ , Nicky did not say. Instead, he took a moment to think, pursing his lips. “Hmm, besides work on my thesis?”

“Absolutely not,” Joe said, shaking his head. “Not allowed. Come on, you’ve only been in this country for, what, two years max and we both know you’ve spent it busy at school and work and helping people. There have to be things you haven’t done yet.”

“I suppose…” Nicky felt his lips twitch at the thought. “I have always wanted to try eating at an Italian restaurant here. Try a pineapple pizza.”

Joe laughed at that and Nicky felt his mood rise marginally. “Okay! We can do that.”

From there, they moved on to other subjects and Nicky found himself laughing at one point. Though whether that was due to Joe’s joke or the alcohol he hadn’t had in his system for weeks, he didn’t know. What he did know was that it felt nice, spending time away from everything and just being here with Joe.

Nicky hadn’t realized how much he’d drunk until he got up to go to the restroom and nearly fell over. Joe, in attempting to catch him, nearly spilled his own drink.

“Alright, I think it’s time we got some actual food in our systems,” Joe laughed.

“If you want to call whatever Americans call alfredo ‘real food’, sure,” Nicky muttered. He didn’t even think he’d said it loud enough to be heard, but Joe laughed anyway, and Nicky couldn’t stop thinking about that laugh all the way to the bathroom.

When he looked in the mirror while washing his hands, he realized he still had a bit of a smile on his lips.

They didn’t spend much time at the Italian restaurant, but they did partake in some wine and the absolute worst-sounding things off the menu. When they began paying for their bill, Joe asked the question again: “What do you want to do now?”

Nicky was ready. “I want to go to a dog park.”

“Do they let you into dog parks without a dog?”

Nicky shrugged. “I’ve always wanted to go but I don’t have a dog.”

Joe thought about it, then nodded. “I don’t see why not.”

They walked to the dog park easily enough despite still both being a bit tipsy, and no one argued when the two of them entered the gates to the elaborate dog park that was famous on their side of town. They went into the small dog side first and cooed over the way they all played around with each other. Joe managed to get into a conversation with one owner, where he charmed the woman’s pants off and Nicky tried not to be disgruntled. They laughed in the large dog side when one dog nearly barreled over its owner. Generally, it was a good time, until a woman walked in with both a dog and a stroller. The baby wasn’t even near Amira’s age but Nicky practically froze at the sight. He couldn’t keep his eyes off the stroller, and of course Joe noticed.

“Nicky,” he said gently, “what do you want to do?”

Nicky let out a long sigh. “I want to go pick up Amira.”

Joe stood up from the bench they were seated at and held out his hand. “Then let’s pick up Amira.”

Nicky smiled and took Joe’s hand.

They arrived at the daycare...well, if they weren’t sober yet, they were trying desperately to look like it, and were doing such a terrible job at it that they simply looked like a couple of drunks.

The woman at the counter looked like she was suppressing a giggle when she said, “Last name please?”

“Genova,” Nicky said in a low, serious voice that had Joe suppressing his own giggles.

“I got it!” said another girl Nicky hadn’t been aware of on the other side of the room.

That left the first girl to stand there and stare at them as if she wanted to say many things and had no idea where to start.

“Good evening Kara,” Joe said.

“Good evening, boss,” Kara responded. “Enjoy your day?”

Joe looked at Nicky, who suddenly felt a flush rise up his cheeks. “Yeah, I think I did.” Then, belatedly. “I’m not your boss. We’re coworkers.”

Kara shrugged. “Whatever you say, boss.”

That was all the conversation Nicky listened to, though, because at that moment, he saw Amira coming down the hallway, and melted. She was as cute as ever, and Nicky thought he’d never get tired of the way she would light up when she saw him. What surprised him, though, was that after she jumped into Nicky’s arms, she looked around and spotted Joe and got equally excited.

“Go!” she exclaimed and held her hands out to him.

“Oh, hey, sweetheart!” Joe exclaimed, taking her from Nicky. “Did you have a good day without me?”

Amira nodded vehemently.

“Were you good today?” Joe continued.

Amira nodded even more vehemently.

“Good!” Joe laughed, kissing her on the cheek. “Are you ready to go home?”

“Yes!” Amira finally said.

“Then let’s go,” Nicky said, bringing her attention back to him. Amira held out her hands again, and Nicky took her. 

On the way back, when it came time for Nicky and Joe to part ways to their separate places, Joe ended up turning towards Nicky’s direction, and Nicky found he wasn’t bothered by the realization. Worse, he almost welcomed the idea. They’d spent all afternoon together, and Joe had just insinuated he wanted more. Nicky couldn’t find it in himself to want anything different.

Once inside, Nicky began making dinner for everyone, and Joe wordlessly jumped in, helping where he could. When had they reached such silent agreements? When had they become so attuned to each other that they didn’t even have to talk to know what the other was about to do? Nicky wasn’t sure but he was sure that he knew he never wanted this warm feeling in his chest to go away. He thought about the sight of himself smiling in the bathroom earlier that day. Yeah, he definitely didn’t want this to end.

Eventually, it became time for Amira’s bedtime, and Joe was still at Nicky’s side, watching some Netflix documentary that Nicky wasn’t paying attention to because Joe’s thigh was pressed against him and he was thinking big thoughts related to that realization in the kitchen.

The documentary ended, and they both sat still for a moment as the credits rolled. Nicky, so lost in his thoughts, hadn’t realized that it was also strange that Joe hadn’t gotten up to change it either.

“Joe — ” 

“Nicky, I — ”

“You go ahead,” Nicky said as Joe chuckled.

“I was just going to say, I had a really good time today,” Joe explained. “I know it was your day, but I still had a nice time.”

Nicky smiled. “I was going to say the same thing,” he said. “I was hoping we could do that again sometime.”

There was an awkward beat of silence.

“You know,” Joe began, “the day isn’t over yet. We can still think of things to do.”

“I don’t know,” Nicky said, suddenly looking away. “Amira’s asleep and — ”

“Nicky,” Joe’s shaky tone was enough to bring Nicky’s attention back to his heartbreakingly beautiful eyes. “What do you  _ want _ ?”

Nicky would blame it on the alcohol still in his system, but all his barriers, the walls he normally put up between people fell in that moment. Nicky answered, “I want you, Joe.”

Joe leaned forward then, and as Nicky closed the gap between their lips, he realized that maybe Joe had been breaking down those walls since the day they first met.

Nicky didn’t think much past that point, however, because the feeling of Joe’s lips on his was sending his head spinning. Nicky had his suspicions that Joe was a good kisser but Christ, he was better than Nicky’s limited imagination could ever conjure up. Not only were his lips soft and pliable, but his hands were everything. In Nicky’s hair, on Nicky’s cheeks, gripping his shirt, so firm yet gentle. Nicky was losing his mind. He tried to reciprocate — and if the soft noises Joe was making were setting his nerves on fire were any indication, maybe he was — but he found it hard to concentrate on anything that wasn’t Joe.

When they finally pulled away, just enough to breathe, Nicky let out a sigh of contentment.

“So,” Joe whispered, “does this mean I get to spend the night?”

Nicky couldn’t help it —  he laughed out loud at that. His lips were quickly captured before he could reply.

The next morning, Nicky was woken to an alarm accidentally set an hour early. When he went to quickly turn off the alarm, however, he found that not only was his head throbbing painfully but also that there was an arm preventing him from sitting all the way up. Not wanting to think with his brain throbbing, Nicky stretched toward the alarm, then to the light, and got a groan in response to the latter. Joe’s groan.

The events of the last night all came flooding back, and Nicky felt like he should feel panicked. Were they dating now? Was it just a one-time thing? Had they’d both been drinking too much? Yet all Nicky could feel was that warm feeling in his chest, magnified tenfold.

“Good morning,” Nicky whispered.

Joe responded with another groan, eliciting a chuckle from Nicky. Just as he was about to lean in to kiss the man, Amira began crying in the next room.

Nicky got dressed quickly and ran to Amira’s room. 

“I’m sorry, love, did the alarm wake you?” he asked as he bounced her up and down on his hip.

Amira began calming down at the rhythm, her sobs turning to sniffles. 

“I’ll try to remember to set the alarm properly next time,” Nicky murmured, wiping the tears from Amira’s eyes. He turned to see Joe in the doorway. He’d only put on a pair of pants, and Nicky felt himself blush at the sight of his bare chest. It was a bit ridiculous, he knew, but Joe wasn’t an unattractive man. “Sorry to wake you as well, Joe.”

Joe shook his head and held out his hands for Amira. “It’s partially my fault.” He put his nose in Amira’s curls. “I can take care of her while you make breakfast.”

Nicky nodded and went to leave, but Joe caught his wrist and turned Nicky to face him. He wasted no time in placing a devastating kiss on Nicky’s lips. It was unfair, really. He wasn’t allowed to wake up with adorable tousled hair  _ and _ give toe-curling kisses this early in the morning.

As Nicky made breakfast in the kitchen, hearing the sounds of Joe and Amira having their own version of a discussion, Nicky both felt like he’d found something he was meant to find and that this was the beginning of a new adventure in his life. Either way, he wasn’t complaining. 


	7. Epilogue

“...And they lived happily ever after. The End.” Joe sighed as he closed the book. “Amira,  _ how _ are you not asleep already?”

Amira shrugged. “I’m too excited.”

Joe smiled. “I know, tomorrow’s a big day. But you need to get your rest.”

The ‘big day’ Joe was referring to, was his and Nicky’s wedding. Amira had known Joe as Nicky’s boyfriend ever since she could remember. That is, up until a year ago, when he became Nicky’s fiance. And tomorrow, he would become Nicky’s husband.

“Maybe you could read from you and Nicky’s research?” Amira suggested. “That always helps me sleep.”

Joe snorted. “I’ll try not to be offended.”

Amira rolled her eyes, but Joe was already getting up to find the well-read journal that held the published research of Professors al-Kaysani and Genova. As the familiar, dry text washed over her, Amira felt her eyelids getting heavier, until she finally drifted off to sleep.

The next day, feeling well-rested, Amira happily tossed her flowers down each aisle as the wedding march played. She wasn’t really focused on the rest of the ceremony — she would only remember how happy Joe and Nicky both were, and the fact that Joe had tears in his eyes when Nicky read his vows. They kissed, and Amira tried not to wrinkle her nose at a thing they did far too constantly for her liking.

And then it was over. But not really. Because next was the big party.

First was Joe and Nicky’s dance. Then Nicky and Amira danced together (she remembered practicing for weeks to get the steps right). Then came the real party.

Amira danced with Aunt Quynh and Aunt Nile. She begged Aunt Andy to dance, but the woman staunchly refused. Uncle Booker tried, but he simply wasn’t a good enough dancer, and Amira couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer.

Soon, though, the party was over, and Amira, Nicky, and Joe all had to say their goodbyes. And then it was over. But, again, not really. Because where this was typically the part where they left for the honeymoon, there were a few things to get sorted first.

“Ugh, this is taking forever!” Amira exclaimed.

“Hush, Amira,” Nicky admonished. “What have we been teaching you about patience?”

“I know,” she sighed. “But we already got the papers signed. Why does it have to take so  _ long _ ?”

“That’s bureaucracy for you, sweetheart,” Joe said, making Nicky roll his eyes and nudge the man with his elbow.

“She doesn’t even know what that means,” Nicky admonished.

“I do, too,” Amira protested, but Nicky merely hummed in amusement at that.

Luckily, they only had to wait a few minutes more before their number was called. There were a few more steps and signatures that Joe and Nicky had to fill out, and then it was official.

Amira squealed as Joe turned to her and picked her up off the ground, twirling around.

“You are now looking at the new legal guardian of Amira Morales,” Joe said. “What do you think of that?”

Amira smiled more than she had the entire day, and that was saying something. “I think it’s awesome!”

**Author's Note:**

> ...And they lived happily ever after! 
> 
> Whew, it’s finally done! This whole fic has been such a fun ride, and I’m so glad I finished it. First, I want to thank @noenoaholi on tumblr for inspiring this fic. Then there’s my wonderfully helpful betas: Anne Llanora (@tea---leaves on tumblr), Azar Merhdad, and Lein. Last but most certainly not least, I want to thank my artist, Axelle (@lucasmileynelli on tumblr) for making the lovely art for this fic. That scene wouldn’t exist without their idea!
> 
> And I also want to thank everyone who reads this fic. It was a labor of love and I hope you get some enjoyment out of it! Comments and kudos are always always appreciated!


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